GO TO "THE KEG"
Manitou Springs......the little town at the bottom of Pikes Peak.
Best Buffalo Burgers I've ever had!

Dude, you are like my new HERO.
Been keeping up with this thread more than I usually keep up with world news!
If you happen to head to boring florida, let me know and I will try and give you a little advice.....on what to miss.
If you head to the north end, go to JenningsGP and put that Italian model on the track!
If you make it to Tampa FL, Let me know, I don't have much to offer what so ever, but a couch and some info on the local hang outs.

The most valuable lesson I've extracted from this trip so far involves experiencing an idea I've known--but was a bit suspicious of (sorry Joseph Campbell!)--all along. Our lives can be spent carrying out actions that we hope will lead us to a greater sense of purpose, accomplishment and meaning, but all these are secondary to the need to feel alive. And when we pursue the activities that make us truly feel alive, we discover the places and people and things we always had wished existed--people and places and things that have always been there--waiting patiently for our arrival.

My dad passed away in '04 from a brain tumor. Although he wasn't much for motorcycles (or any motorized vehicles for that matter!) he was an ultra marathon runner and triathlete. No Ironman's like yourself as running was more his gig but he usually put a couple of olympic length ones away a year. Bike riding was more of a means of transport, but an enjoyable one.
He put almost 60k miles on his feet in 20 years so we'll call him an ADVrunner.

Always wanted to do Death Valley on a motorbike....Badwater--I did 6 miles in Badwater a week before the race, which gave me enough of a taste of it to know that my insanity does have limits. What I meant was doing Badlands on the 1199 gave me a taste of what it would be like to do DV on a bike....

This trip reminds me of my trip this past may. I decided to fly down to TX (from NY) and buy 2012 GSA and hit the road. 7500 miles in less than a month, all over West Coast (mostly national parks) Good times.

I currently am in Afghanistan but will be home in a week or so... if you find yourself around Niagara Falls area, hit me up and I'll buy you a beer. Sorry, can't offer a place to stay as I myself am homeless at the moment.

You mentioned you were heading to motogp? Indy i would presume. If you make it, i will keep my eye out for you. Would like to meet someone as hardcore as you. My friends and i will be on supermotos. 2 ktm 690's and a black DRZ 400. If you see us before we see you, come up and say hi. Keep up the great RR!

You mentioned you were heading to motogp? Indy i would presume. If you make it, i will keep my eye out for you. Would like to meet someone as hardcore as you. My friends and i will be on supermotos. 2 ktm 690's and a black DRZ 400. If you see us before we see you, come up and say hi. Keep up the great RR!

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Indy indeed! If we miss each other, keep an eye open for the Panigale S wearing California plates on Ducati Island.....

I'm still trying to work out a happiness index of the cities I've been through....I've narrowed it down to being very activity based. More on that (hopefully) to come.

The most valuable lesson I've extracted from this trip so far involves experiencing an idea I've known--but was a bit suspicious of (sorry Joseph Campbell!)--all along. Our lives can be spent carrying out actions that we hope will lead us to a greater sense of purpose, acoomplishment and meaning, but all these are secondary to the need to feel alive. And when we pursue the activities that make us truly feel alive, we discover the places and people and things we always had wished existed--people and places and things that have always been there--waiting patiently for our arrival.

Have to give credit to Campbell for the thought behind it. My undergraduate degrees were in Lit and Philosophy. Some ideas, once in your head, can never be removed and forever change your perception of the world, of people and yourself. Books, passages and even single sentences can be like mental viruses that infect you with just a single touch, leaving you suffering for days or even months with a form of truth-based insanity. Other ideas require action and experimentation before they become true or real. This latter type is obviously a little more fun....

Subscribed. Picking up my new sportbike (an R1200S) on Tuesday in Marin and taking a few days to ride down the coast back to San Diego. Nothing quite as epic as your ride, but should be fun nonetheless!